The East Asian Studies Program is designed to educate students in the languages and cultures of East Asia, primarily China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Students learn about the history and civilization of the whole region, with a focus on either China or Japan. The program is rounded out with a senior research project undertaken by every senior major.

Laura Kriska '87

Laura Kriska's book, "The Accidental Office Lady" describes her experience as the only foreign woman working in the Honda headquarters in Tokyo.

Born in Tokyo, Japan to missionary parents, Laura Kriska spoke her first words in Japanese and took her first steps on tatami floor. When she was two years old, her family returned to their home in Columbus, Ohio, but her interest in Japan continued to grow.

While earning her B.A. in Japanese Studies at Denison University, Kriska spent her junior year abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo and devoted most of her time to practicing judo. A week after giving the commencement speech to her graduating class, she was welding parts on the automobile assembly line of the Honda factory in Marysville, Ohio, as part of her training to work overseas. Two months later, she was in Japan —the first American woman to work in Honda Motor Company’s Tokyo headquarters.

She now works as a writer and business consultant specializing in team building and Japanese cross-cultural training. Living in Brooklyn, N.Y. with her husband and two children. Her book “The Accidental Office Lady” describes her experience as the only foreign woman working in the Honda headquarters in Tokyo after her graduation from Denison. Laura has an M.A. in creative writing from Columbia University.